THIRD PRIZE ESSAY 



What Is The Farm Bureau and 

 What Does It Do. 



By Thelma Malsbury. Sangamon County 



Several years ago farmers began to 

 realize that one man alone could not ac- 

 complish very much and unless they 

 bound themselves together with some 

 sort of organization, they were lost. 



Other classes of people were doing it 

 so why not the farmer? The Farm Bu- 

 reau was the result. 



In early times when the settlers 

 traveled westward, they too grouped to- 

 gether. It is true they didn't call these 

 little groups Farm Bureaus, but wasn't 

 it about the same thing only on a 

 smaller scale? Didn't they help and pro- 

 tect each other? 



That is just what the Farm Bureau is 

 doing today. It helps farm people in so 

 many ways. It represents farmers be- 

 fore the legislature and congress. 

 Through its efforts the Agricultural Ad- 

 justment Act was enacted. Following 

 that we have had higher farm prices, 

 lower rates and hog payments. 



The farmer realizes that he must have 

 group action if he expects to have higher 

 prices for farm products and to protect 

 agriculture from excess taxes, high mar- 

 keting costs and profiteering by inter- 

 ests who sell to and for the farmer. 

 When farmers co-operate they get re- 

 sults. 



At a meeting held in Peoria in Oc- 

 tober, 1933, more than eight thousand 

 farmers were present and all voted in 

 favor of the corn loan program. As a 

 result, the report of this meeting was 

 taken direct to the President where 

 immediate action resulted in the start- 

 ing of the com loan program. Corn belt 

 farms soon received a loan of forty-five 

 cents a bushel on sealed corn and reaped 

 the benefits of advancing prices. 



In this rapidly changing wcwld of ours, 

 new conditions are constantly arising. 

 -Agriculture must be so well organized 

 that it too may change to keep up with 

 the times. The Farm Bureau will help 

 do this by planning production programs 

 in order to control the surplus Iproblem. 

 Prices will then be higher on the aver- 

 age of our major products. 



The Farm Bureau, through the Farm- 

 ers Mutual Reinsurance Company, pro- 

 tects our buildings and crops against 

 fire, hail, and windstorm damage at 

 cost. Through the Country Life Insur- 

 ance, the family is protected in case 

 of death. The Farm Bureau — I. A. A. 

 emblem is the symbol of protection for 

 members whose cars are insured in the 

 Illinois Agricultural Mutual Insurance 

 Company. 



If a member patronizes his organiza- 



tion as he should when buying gas, 

 serum, insurance, etc., he will receive a 

 rebate large enough in most cases to 

 pay his dues. It really pays to belong! 



The Farm Bureau while several years 

 old, is still an infant, just getting on its 

 feet, and all members should work and 

 pull together just as a good pulling team, 

 if they want to accomplish still greater 

 things. 



The Farm Bureau is the farmer's own 

 organization and has the farmer's inter- 

 est at heart. It wants the farmer and 

 farmer's family to have better homes, 

 better schools, better churches, and good 

 roads. By getting better prices all these 

 things are possible. 



The corn-hog ratio on March 15 was 

 ;t.8 compared with 8.4 on February IB 

 and with 8.2 on March 15 a year ago. 

 The figure given is the required .'umber 

 of bushels of corn by value to equal the 

 price of 100 pounds of live hogt. Most 

 farmers feed 11 to 12 bu. of corn to 

 produce 100 lbs. of gain in hogs. 



Agents Praise Vanlman 



A resolution expressing appreciation 

 and praise for Vernon Vaniman and his 

 work in promoting three insurance com- 

 panies organized by the I. A. A. was 

 adopted by general insurance agents of 

 the 20th district in Jacksonville, April 2. 



"We appreciate that had it not been 

 for his vision, coupled with enthusiasm 

 and perseverance, this monument of in- 

 surance service might not have been 

 erected, stated the resolution. We com- 

 mend him most highly and wish him con- 

 tinued success and prosperity in his new 

 field of endeavor." 



Mr. Vaniman recently left the I. A. A. 

 to become director of organization for 

 the .American Farm Bureau Federation. 



"I find much satisfaction and in- 

 formation in this month's (April) 

 articles on 'chinch bugs' and 'soil ero- 

 sion.' My farm is in Jersey county." 

 C. P. Welsh, 



St. Louis, Mo. 



FARMER— 



EMPLOVERS' 



LIABILITY INSURANCE 



Protects Against Costly 



Accident Claims For Only 



21/2C a Day Per Man! 



"Common law liability fer injury or 

 death of employees" — every farmer 

 who employs labor knows how courts 

 can interpret that phrase. But now — 

 Farm Bureau members can protect 

 themselves against claims thru their 

 own company — Illinois Agricultural 

 Mutual — for approximately 2''i cents 

 a day per man. 



With fingers, hands, feet in constant 

 danger of accident durinx the work 

 season, no Farm Bureau member ran 



possibly afford to be without liability 

 protection at any cost. 



But for only ZYi cents a day per 

 man! It's really cheaper to be pro- 

 tected than not. The insurance agent 

 at your county Farm Bureau office 

 has full information on this low cost 

 protection. See him at once. Delay 

 may be tragic and costly. 



ILLINOIS AGRICULTURAL 

 MUTUAL INSURANCE CO. 



608 S. Dearborn, Chicago 



! 



24 



I. A. A. RECORD 



